WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Florida Polytechnic University women's basketball team continued its strong start to the season on Thursday evening, defeating the University of Fort Lauderdale 85-52. The Phoenix improved to 2-0 on the season behind an impressive offensive performance and a dominant showing on the defensive end. Celina Forine led the way with a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds, while Florida Poly shot 51.6 percent from the field and connected on 10 three-pointers in the victory.
Florida Poly wasted little time establishing control, opening the contest with an 8-0 run highlighted by three-pointers from Madison Perez and Dayla Christopher. Forine added a pair of free throws before converting a layup to help maintain the early advantage. The Phoenix continued to apply pressure defensively, forcing six first-quarter turnovers and recording five steals. Perez knocked down her second three-pointer of the quarter with 2:21 remaining, while Ella Cochran contributed four points off the bench. A late basket from Forine helped Florida Poly close the opening quarter with a 19-10 advantage.
The Phoenix continued their offensive momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Fort Lauderdale 24-17. Perez opened the period with another three-pointer, while Forine added eight points in the quarter to keep Florida Poly in control. After Fort Lauderdale trimmed the deficit to six points at 30-24, the Phoenix responded with a decisive 13-0 run. Valeria Munoz, Bryleigh Florio, and Jayda Feurtado each connected from beyond the arc during the scoring surge, extending the lead to 43-24 with 18 seconds remaining. Fort Lauderdale's Monique Taylor knocked down a three-pointer at the buzzer, but Florida Poly entered halftime holding a commanding 43-27 advantage.
Florida Poly maintained its defensive intensity coming out of halftime, limiting Fort Lauderdale to just nine points in the third quarter. Christopher and Forine combined for the Phoenix's first six points of the half, pushing the advantage to 49-27. Sofia Rathbun contributed a layup, while Feurtado added five points during the period. Florio capped off the third quarter with a three-pointer in the final minute, giving Florida Poly a 61-36 lead heading into the final 10 minutes. The Phoenix continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, opening the period with a 15-2 scoring run that included six points from Forine, six from Munoz, and a three-pointer from Sydney Reinhart. Florida Poly built its largest lead of the contest at 76-38 with 5:32 remaining and maintained control down the stretch to secure the 85-52 victory.
Forine finished with 26 points on an efficient 9-of-10 shooting performance, adding nine rebounds, three assists, and a block. Christopher followed with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Munoz contributed nine points, five assists, and five steals. Perez added nine points on three three-pointers, six rebounds, and three steals. Feurtado turned in a well-rounded performance with eight points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals, while Reinhart added eight points and four rebounds. Florida Poly finished the contest shooting 33-of-64 (51.6 percent) from the field and 10-of-25 (40.0 percent) from three-point range. The Phoenix dominated the rebounding battle 42-25, recorded 24 assists and 14 steals, and scored 44 points in the paint. Fort Lauderdale was led by Monique Taylor with 27 points and eight rebounds, while Tiyana Snowden contributed 17 points.
